Consistent retention and disposition of managed content and associated metadata

ABSTRACT

Consistent retention and disposition of managed content and associated metadata is disclosed. An indication that a retention policy is to be applied to a selected item of content comprising a body of managed content is received. The selected item of content and its associated metadata are retained automatically in parallel in accordance with the retention policy.

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/370,292, entitled CONSISTENT RETENTION AND DISPOSITION OFMANAGED CONTENT AND ASSOCIATED METADATA filed Mar. 7, 2006 which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An enterprise may have a legal or other obligation and/or an internalpolicy that requires selected content to be retained in a particularmanner and/or for a prescribed period. Record management systemsdedicated to preserving and disposing of records, e.g., to satisfy U.S.Department of Defense and/or other external and/or internalspecifications, policies, and other requirements regarding maintenance,retention, and disposition of records have been provided, but to date noeffective way to selectively apply a retention policy, or a selected oneor more of a plurality of retention policies, to selected items ofcontent comprising a body of managed content, e.g., a body of contentmanaged by a content management system, application, and/or platform,has been provided. Moreover, in a typical managed content system eachitem of stored content, e.g., each file or other file system object,etc., has associated with it metadata used to track, locate, control andmanage access to, and/or provide one or more other content managementfunctions with respect to the corresponding content item. In many cases,an enterprise or other content owner may be required and/or may desireto enforce with respect to such metadata the same retention policy orpolicies and/or other requirements applicable to the underlying contentitem with which the metadata is associated.

Therefore, there is a need for a way to ensure that items of content andtheir associated metadata are retained and disposed of in parallel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a contentmanagement system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a storagemanagement services component or module of a content management system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of retentionservices business logic.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a contentsystem.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.

FIG. 5B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.

FIG. 5C is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating items of content and associated metadata.

FIG. 5D is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forproviding retention services for managed content.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forreceiving and processing an indication that a retention policy is to beapplied to an item of managed content.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forassociating a retention policy with an item of managed content.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forproviding retention with respect to a complex document.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a complex document to which aretention policy is to be applied.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forperforming retention-related operations with respect to managed content.

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict a flow chart illustrating an example of aretention policy and associated qualification, promotion, anddisposition processes.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process fordeleting content in accordance with a retention policy at the expirationof a retention period.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process fordeleting content and associated metadata in an environment in whichcontent may be associated with more than one document or other object.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forapplying two or more retention policies to the same content.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process foridentifying and resolving conflicts between/among two or more retentionpolicies applicable to an item of content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as aprocess, an apparatus, a system, a composition of matter, a computerreadable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computernetwork wherein program instructions are sent over optical or electroniccommunication links. In this specification, these implementations, orany other form that the invention may take, may be referred to astechniques. A component such as a processor or a memory described asbeing configured to perform a task includes both a general componentthat is temporarily configured to perform the task at a given time or aspecific component that is manufactured to perform the task. In general,the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within thescope of the invention.

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention isprovided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate theprinciples of the invention. The invention is described in connectionwith such embodiments, but the invention is not limited to anyembodiment. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims andthe invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications andequivalents. Numerous specific details are set forth in the followingdescription in order to provide a thorough understanding of theinvention. These details are provided for the purpose of example and theinvention may be practiced according to the claims without some or allof these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technicalmaterial that is known in the technical fields related to the inventionhas not been described in detail so that the invention is notunnecessarily obscured.

Consistent retention and disposition of managed content and associatedmetadata is disclosed. An indication that a retention policy is to beapplied to a selected item of content comprising a body of managedcontent is received. The selected item of content and its associatedmetadata are retained automatically in parallel in accordance with theretention policy.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a contentmanagement system. In the example shown, content management system 102includes an application 104 configured to interact with and use storagemanagement services 106 running on a content management framework 108 tomanage one or more content items stored on content system 110. In someembodiments, the content management system 102 and content system 110comprise a single physical system. In various embodiments, the contentmanage system 102, the content system 110, or both is/are implementedusing two or more physical systems. In some embodiments, contentmanagement framework 108 includes a set of foundation classes of objectsused to represent and provide content management services with respectto items of content stored on content system 110. In variousembodiments, storage management services 106 includes business logic,implemented at least in part in some embodiments as a business objectframework, including logic and/or methods that instantiate, populate,and otherwise use objects associated with the content managementframework. In some embodiments, application 104 interacts with thestorage management services 106 via a published or other API ingest andstore items of content in content system 110 and to provide managedaccess to and control over items of content stored in content system110. In the example shown, a client 112 is configured to accessapplication 104, e.g., via a network, to create and/or otherwise providenew content to be managed by content management system 102; search for,retrieve, or otherwise access content managed by and/or otherwiseassociated with content management system 102; and/or obtain othercontent management related services with respect to content managed bycontent management system 102. An admin console 114 provides anadministrator with access to content management system 102 to configureand/or otherwise control content management system 102. In someembodiments, content management system 102 is configured to performretention management services with respect to content managed by contentmanagement system 102, such as by ensuring the content required to beretained is not changed or deleted during an applicable retentionperiod; promoting and qualifying content for one or more levels ofdisposition prescribed by an applicable retention policy; providingnotifications and reports regarding content retention; providing forfinal disposition in accordance with a retention policy; and placing a“hold” on content, ensuring it is retained in its current and/or in aprescribed location during a hold period, e.g., during the pendency ofan investigation and/or litigation to which the content is determined tobe and/or identified as being actually or potentially relevant. Invarious embodiments, administration console 114 provides to anadministration an interface that enables the administrator to do one ormore of the following: upload and/or define one or more retentionpolicies, associate a retention policy with specified content and/or adesignated physical and/or logical storage location, request and/orreceive reports and/or notifications regarding retention, place holds ondesignated content and/or storage areas, etc.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a storagemanagement services component or module of a content management system.In the example shown, storage management services component 206 includesa business object framework 208 used by retention services businesslogic 210 to provide one or more retention-related services with respectto managed content. In some embodiments, retention services businesslogic 210 includes one or more methods that instantiate and configureobjects associated with business object framework 208 as required toperform retention-related services with respect to managed content. Insome embodiments, the storage management services component 206 includesadditional business logic, not shown in FIG. 2, configured to usebusiness object framework 208 to provide other content managementservices and/or functionality with respect to managed content.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of retentionservices business logic. In the example shown, retention servicesbusiness logic 210 of FIG. 2 includes reporting logic 302, retentionpolicy logic 304, qualification and promotion logic 306, notificationslogic 308, disposition logic 310, and hold logic 312. Reporting logic302 generates one or more reports, on a periodic and/or as requestedbasis, containing retention-related information, including for examplethe disposition/status of content included in the report, anidentification of content qualified and/or promoted for dispositionduring a period with which the report is associated, etc. Retentionpolicy logic 304 includes one or more methods for defining retentionpolicies, associating a retention policy with specific items of content,implementing and/or enforcing with respect to an item of content aretention policy associated with the content, restoring, configuring,and/or modifying a retention policy, and/or resolving conflicts, if any,in cases in which two or more retention policies and/or rules apply toan item of content and/or a physical/logical storage area. Qualificationand promotion logic 306 includes logic for tracking and advancing itemsof content through one or more phases of retention and/or dispositiondefined by and/or otherwise associated with an application retentionpolicy and/or its implementation and/or enforcement. In addition,qualification and promotion logic 306 includes logic for obtainingpermissions and/or otherwise qualifying items of content for advancementto a next phase of retention and/or disposition. Notifications logic 308includes logic configured to generate and transmit one or moreretention-related notifications, if applicable, such as by notifying aresponsible administrator and/or manager and/or content owner that anitem of content previously under retention and subsequently qualifiedfor deletion and/or other final disposition, and/or associated metadata,has been deleted and/or otherwise disposed of, as applicable, inaccordance with an applicable retention policy. Disposition logic 310includes logic for disposing of items of content in accordance with anapplicable retention policy, e.g., by moving an item from near-line tooffline and/or offset storage, scheduling content for deletion and/orother disposition, and actually deleting or otherwise finally disposingof content, as required by an applicable retention policy, e.g., at theend of an applicable retention period. Hold logic 312 includes logic toprevent an item of content that is required to be held potentiallybeyond an otherwise applicable retention period from being deletedand/or otherwise disposed of even at the end of such an applicableretention period. In various embodiments, hold logic 312 preventscontent under hold and/or associated metadata from being accessed,viewed, moved, deleted, and/or changed at a time when the content is ina “hold” status.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a contentsystem. In the example shown, content system 110 includes a contentserver 402 configured to send/receive content via a communicationinterface 403, such as a network interface. In some embodiments, thecontent server 402 is connected via interface 403 to a contentmanagement system such as content management system 102 of FIG. 1. Thecontent server 402 provides access to content associated with and/orstores new content in a content store 406. In some embodiments, thecontent store 406 includes a content addressed storage and/or otherexternal content storage system, such as an EMC Centera™ systemavailable commercially from EMC Corporation. The content server 402stores in and/or access from a metadata store 404 metadata derived fromand/or otherwise associated with items of content stored in contentstore 406. In some embodiments, metadata store 404 includes one or moredatabase applications and/or systems, such as an Oracle™ database. Invarious embodiments, the metadata stored in metadata store 404 includesone or more document and/or content objects representing and/orotherwise associated with items of managed content stored in contentstore 406, one or more full text indexes and/or associated entriesassociated with content stored in content store 406, and/or one or moreobjects configured to implement at least in part a retention policyapplicable to one or more associated items of content in content store406. In various embodiments metadata stored in metadata store 404 isused to track and/or provide access to successive versions of an item ofcontent, such as a file or other item of content and/or to provide othercontent management functionality.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.In the example shown, content item 502, e.g., a file or other filesystem object, database table or file, etc., stored in content store 406is represented in metadata store 404 by a content object 504 used totrack, access, save, and perform other operations with respect tocontent item 502 and a document object 506, linked to content object504, the document object being configured to store descriptive and othermetadata derived from and/or otherwise associated with content item 502.A retainer object 508 linked to document object 506 is configured toinvoke one or more retention policy services provided by a contentmanagement system and/or framework with which the content item 502 andassociated metadata are associated to enforce a retention policy and/orperform a retention-related operation and/or function with respect tocontent item 502 and/or associated metadata. In the example shown, theretainer object 508 is linked to the single document object 506 shown.In some embodiments, the same retainer object 508 may be shared by twoor more document objects and/or associated content items and/ormetadata, e.g., by linking the same retainer object 508 to two or moredocument objects. While a separate document object 506 and contentobject 504 are shown in this example, in some embodiments a singlemetadata object is used to represent content item 502.

FIG. 5B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.In the example shown, a content item 522 in content store 406 isrepresented in metadata stored in metadata store 404 by a content object524. In this example, the same content item 522 is associated with twodocuments represented in metadata store 404 by a first document object526 and a second document object 528, each of which is linked to asingle content object 524 associated with content item 522. An exampleof where two or more document objects may link to a single contentobject is where an item of content exists as a file or other contentitem in content store 406 and is later attached and/or otherwiseincorporate into another document, such as by attaching it to an emailmessage or importing or otherwise incorporating it wholly into asubsequent word processing or other document. In the example shown, afirst retainer object 530 is linked to first document object 526 and asecond retainer object 532 is linked to second document object 528. Invarious embodiments, a different retention period or other parameter orrule may apply to the content item 522 based on its association with afirst instance or occurrence of the content item 522 as represented byits association with first document object 526 than that applicable tocontent item 522 by virtue of its association with second documentobject 528. For example, if the retention period for the respectivedocuments represented by document objects 526 and 528 were determinedbased on their date of creation, the retention period for the contentitem 522 would be different for the later-created instances than for theearlier instance. In some contexts, the length of the retention periodand/or other retention parameters and/or processing may vary dependingon such factors as who created the subsequent instance of a contentitem, what other content was included in the document with which thesubsequent instance, etc. In some embodiments, as described more fullybelow, retention policy services associated with a content managementsystem with which the content item 522 is associated are invoked byretainer objects 530 and 532, respectively, each to perform theretention functions (e.g., enforce the retention policy) it isconfigured to perform.

In some embodiments, a link count associated with content object 524 isdecremented each time a requirement to retain associated content item522 is removed, e.g., due to the expiration of a retention period for aninstance/occurrence of content item 522, and the content object 524 andcontent item 522 are prevented from being deleted until the link counthas been decremented to zero. In some embodiments, a documentrepresented in metadata store 404 by a document object may have morethan one retainer linked to it, e.g., one by virtue of the nature of thedocument and/or a logical storage location in which it is stored and asecond by virtue of the author, subject matter, and/or some otherattribute of the content, and in some such embodiments a link count onthe document object is used to ensure the document object and associatedany associated content item(s) and associated metadata are not deleteduntil required and/or permitted by a last remaining retainer (i.e., thelink count has been decremented to zero).

In some embodiments, an associated content management system includesretention policy services and/or logic to resolve conflicts between twoor more retention policies and/or objects associated with an item ofcontent, e.g., to ensure that content required to be subject tocontinued retention by one retention policy is not deleted and/orotherwise disposed of prematurely based on another applicable retentionpolicy, e.g., upon expiration of a retention period associated with theother policy. In some embodiments, as described more fully below,conflicts between two or more applicable retention policies are resolvedprior to the conflict manifesting itself, e.g., by merging therequirements of two or more policies by resolving conflicts at or nearthe time when a second, third, etc. retention policy is made applicableto an item of content. In some embodiments a merged single policy thatis free of conflicts is generated and made applicable to the content,e.g., by resolving conflicts in accordance with preconfigured and/ordynamically determined user preferences.

FIG. 5C is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating items of content and associated metadata. Inthe example shown, each of a plurality of items of content associatedwith a document or file, represented in FIG. 5C by content items 542 and544, is represented in metadata store 404 by a corresponding contentobject, represented in FIG. 5C by content objects 546 and 548. Each ofthe content objects 546-548 is linked to a document object 550 thatrepresents the document in the metadata. In some embodiments, aconfiguration such as that shown in FIG. 5C is used to represent inmetadata using a single document object a plurality of related contentitems, such as where multiple renditions of a file (e.g., text, pdf,html, other) are stored and/or where a document and/or a renditionthereof is stored as multiple files, such as by storing each page of adocument as a separate tiff image. In the example shown, a retainerobject 552 linked to document object 550 governs and provides retentionfor the content items 542-544 and associated metadata.

In some embodiments, if a new version of an existing document is savedand the new version specifies new or different content, the new versionis stored by creating a new instance of the document object, with itsown associated content object(s) and content item(s), e.g., as aseparate instance of the set of objects shown in FIG. 5A. If the newversion does not specify new or different content, in some embodiments,the new version shares the same content object(s) and content item(s) asthe prior version, e.g., as shown in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 5D is a block diagram of an embodiment of a metadata store andcontent store illustrating an item of content and associated metadata.In this example, a single content item 562 is represented in metadata404 by two separate content objects 564 and 566, respectively. Contentobject 564 is associated with a first document object 568 and contentobject 566 is associated with a second document object 570. A firstretainer object 572 is linked to first document object 568 and a secondretainer object 574 is linked to second document object 570. Each ofretainer objects 572 and 574 governs and provides retention for theinstance/occurrence of content item 562 in the document with which it isassociated and associated metadata. In the example shown, the contentdata for content item 562 is stored just once in content store 406,which conserves physical storage space in content store 406 by avoidingduplicate storage of content associated with two or more documents. Insome embodiments, retention policy services and/or logic ensures thatthe content item 562 is retained as required by the respective retentionpolicies associated with retainer objects 572 and 574, and that metadataassociated with a particular instance/occurrence of content item 562 isremoved and/or otherwise disposed of as the retentionperiod/requirements associated with that instance/occurrence expire.

In various embodiments, a retainer object such as those shown in FIGS.5A-5D includes data and/or methods comprising, associated with, and/orconfigured to implement/enforce an associated retention policy. Theretainer object in some embodiments perform retention functions at leastin part by invoking retention policy services and/or logic provided by acontent management system, application, and/or framework with which itis associated. In some embodiments, the retainer object and/orassociated retention policy services and/or logic may instantiate one ormore other retention-related objects, e.g., an object configured todefine and implement a business process to promote and qualifyassociated content and metadata through one or more stages or phases ofretention (e.g., near-line storage, to offline storage, to offsetstorage, to final and verified deletion). In some embodiments, theretainer object itself handles promotion, qualification, anddisposition.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forproviding retention services for managed content. In variousembodiments, the process of FIG. 6 is implemented on a contentmanagement system, such as content management system 102 of FIG. 1,and/or a content system such as content system 110 of FIG. 1. At 602, anindication that a retention policy is to be applied to one or more itemsof managed content is received. In some embodiments, one or moreretention policies may be applied selectively to selected items ofmanaged content, e.g., particular files or other file system objects,database files and/or tables, etc. In various embodiments, theindication received at 602 includes receiving an indication that the oneor more items have been linked to and/or stored in a logical and/orphysical storage location with which a retention policy to be applied tothe objects is associated. In various embodiments, the content items towhich a retention policy is to be applied are determined through userinteraction and/or at least in part automatically, e.g., by applying apreconfigured, and/or configurable, and/or dynamically determinedfilter, rule, or criterion to one or more items of content to determinewhich of them is to be governed by the retention policy. At 604, theapplicable retention policy is associated with each item of contentidentified in and/or otherwise associated with the indication receivedat 602. In some embodiments, each content item comprising a body ofmanaged content may have zero, one, or multiple retention policiesand/or periods associated with it. In some embodiments, 604 includesassociating with a content item one or more retention-related objectsand/or other metadata and/or associated methods configured and/or usableto implement an applicable retention policy with respect to the contentitem. At 606, retention policy services and/or logic are invoked asrequired to apply to each content item the retention policy or policiesapplicable to it. In some embodiments, 606 includes ensuring that acontent system on which the content item is stored does not allow thecontent item to be moved, modified, or deleted, e.g., during anapplicable retention period, and ensuring that deletion or otherdisposition as required and/or permitted by an applicable retentionpolicy is performed, verified, and documented as and whenrequired/permitted. In some embodiments, 606 is performed for eachcontent item at least in part by a retainer object associated with thecontent item.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forreceiving and processing an indication that a retention policy is to beapplied to an item of managed content. In some embodiments, 602 of FIG.6 includes the process of FIG. 7. In the example shown, at 702 anindication is received that one or more items of managed content havebeen placed in a logical or physical storage container or other logicalor physical location associated with a retention policy. In someembodiments, 702 includes receiving an indication that an item ofcontent has been associated by a user with a logical folder or containerwith which a retention policy is associated, e.g., by dragging an iconrepresenting the content item as displayed via a user interface into anicon associated with the logical folder or other container. In someembodiments, a filter or other automated sorting or identificationprocess may cause an item of managed content to be associated with alogical (and/or physical) storage location (e.g., a folder or othercontainer) with which a retention policy is associated. At 704, theitem(s) of managed content is/are linked to the container. In someembodiments, 704 includes updating a content or other object used torepresent the managed content item in a set of metadata to include anattribute and/or other data that links the content item to thecontainer. At 706, a container-associated process that will ensure theretention policy is applied to the item(s) of content is associated witheach item of content placed in the container. In some embodiments, 706includes associating with each item of content placed in the container acontainer-associated process, referred to in some embodiments as an“aspect”, that extends the behavior of a content object and/or otherobject used to represent the content item in a set of metadata toinclude and/or invoke retention-related processing to be performedand/or initiated when the content item is “saved”. In some embodiments,the retention-related processing includes instantiated (if needed) andlinking to a document and/or other object associated with the contentitem to be retained a retainer object configured to implement theapplicable retention policy with respect to the content item, see, e.g.,604 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forassociating a retention policy with an item of managed content. In someembodiments, 604 of FIG. 6 includes the process of FIG. 8. In theexample shown, at 802 a retainer object configured to implement theretention policy is instantiated and configured. In some embodiments,the retainer object includes retention policy data that determines atleast in part the retention services and/or processing to be performedwith respect to the content item(s) with which the retainer object isassociated. In some embodiments, a single retainer object isinstantiated and configured to provide retention with respect to aplurality of related content items (e.g., a complex or virtual documentthat includes more than one content item; or all items in a folder orother logical or physical location), and in such embodiments 802 isperformed only once for the entire set of content to be governed by theone retainer object. In 804, the retainer object instantiated in 802 islinked to the item(s) of content to be governed by the retainer object.In some embodiments, 804 includes added to a document and/or contentobject with which the item of content is associated a retaineridentifier data that links the retainer object to the content. In someembodiments, the process of FIG. 8 is invoked when an item of content towhich a retention policy is to be applied is saved, e.g., the first timeit is saved after being linked to a folder or other container with whichthe retention policy is associated.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forproviding retention with respect to a complex document. As used herein,a complex document is one that comprises two or more items of content.In the example shown, at 902 a retainer object is linked to a root orparent object associated with a complex document. In some embodiments,902 occurs when the complex document and/or one or more content itemscomprising the document is/are saved subsequent to an indication beingreceived that a retention policy is to be applied to the complexdocument, e.g., the complex document and/or at least a root or parentobject thereof has been placed by a user or a filtering/sorting processinto a logical or physical container with which the retention policy isassociated. At 904, the retainer object is configured, and/or a furtherretainer object is instantiated and configured, to provide consistentretention and disposition, in accordance with the retention policy, ofthe root/parent object and any child objects. In some embodiments, aretainer object is linked only to a root/parent object for a complexdocument and retention applied to the root/parent object is extended toany child object(s).

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a complex document to which aretention policy is to be applied. In the example shown, an emailmessage 1002 is subject to a retention policy 1004 by virtue of havingbeen placed in (e.g., linked to) a logical retained folder 1006. Theemail message 1002 includes an attachment 1008 comprising an attached orembedded file, imaged, or other item and an attached email message 1010,such as a forwarded or otherwise attached or embedded message. Theattached email message 1010 itself has an attachment 1012. In theexample shown, consistent retention of the root/parent email message1002 and child objects attachment 1008, attached email message 1010, andattachment 1012, is provided by instantiating and linking to each objecta “structural” retainer 1014. The structure retainer 1014 ensuresconsistent retention in some embodiments by ensuring that consistentretention is applied to subsequently created/saved versions, forexample, of the root/parent email message 1002 and its associated childobjects 1008, 1010, and 1012. In some alternative embodiments, aretainer object is associated only with the root/parent object and theretainer object ensures consistent retention (and disposition) of childobjects and metadata by learning from the root/parent object whichobjects, if any, are child objects of the root/parent.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forperforming retention-related operations with respect to managed content.At 1102, the retention processing required to be performed with respectto one or more items of managed content, e.g., as prescribed by aretention policy that has been associated with the content items, isdetermined. At 1104, a retention services object is instantiated andconfigured to invoke retention services business logic when and asrequired to implement and/or otherwise satisfy any reporting,qualification/promotion, notification, and/or disposition requirementsimposed by the applicable retention policy or policies. In someembodiments, a retainer object associates content with a retentionpolicy and ensure the content is retained, in the required manner/formand for a prescribed retention period, by a content system in which itis stored; and a retention services object implements other aspects ofan applicable retention policy, such as by defining and executing abusiness process to qualify/promote the content through one or morephases of retention; generate reports and/or notifications as configuredand/or required; generate and preserve required records ofretention/disposition; and move, verifiably delete, or otherwise disposeof content through one or more phases of retention and finaldisposition.

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict a flow chart illustrating an example of aretention policy and associated qualification, promotion, anddisposition processes. In the example shown, content to which aretention policy with which the process of FIGS. 12A and 12B isassociated requires that content be retained in near-line (e.g.,relatively readily accessible) storage for two years, moved uponapproval to offline (e.g., tape or other removable media) storage foranother three years (e.g., until a date five years after the content wascreated, sent, and/or received), moved upon further (and possiblydifferent) approval to offsite (e.g., tape or other removable mediastored at a central and/or third party storage location) storage foranother two years (i.e., for a total of seven years fromcreation/sending/receiving), and then verifiably deleted after receivingapproval for deletion unless a legal, regulatory, investigation, orother “hold” has been placed on the content. In various embodiments, theprocess of FIGS. 12A and 12B is implemented by one or more retainerand/or retention services objects that have been associated with (e.g.,linked to) one or more items of content to which an associated retentionpolicy applies. At 1202, it is determined whether the initial two yearretention phase has expired with respect to the content. In someembodiments, a retention services object schedules at the time retentionbegins an event to “wake up” the process of FIGS. 12A-12B with respectto an item of content (or a related set of content items, e.g., thosecomprising a complex document and/or those stored in a particularlogical and/or physical storage location) when the initial two yearretention phase has expired. Once the initial two year period hasexpired, at 1204 approval to move the content to offline storage (e.g.,tape) is requested. The timing, source(s), order, and nature ofapprovals required are determined at least in part by the applicableretention policy. If the approvals required to move the content tooffline storage are not received (e.g., within a required time), at 1208an exception is reported (e.g., logged and/or included in a reportgenerated and/or presented via an administrative interface) and in thisexample a “retry” is scheduled and performed later to attempt again toget the approvals. If approved (1206), the content is moved to offlinestorage and once offline storage of the content has been verified, thecontent management system and/or retention records and/or statusinformation (e.g., associated metadata) are updated, as applicable, andthe online (e.g., near-line) copy of the content is deleted. At 1212, itis determined whether the content has been retained for a total of fiveyears (e.g., from creation, sending, and/or receiving as applicable).Once the content has been retained for a total of five years, at 1214approval to move the content to offsite storage is requested. If it isdetermined at 1216 that moving the content to offsite storage has beenapproved, at 1218 an exception (i.e., departure from the retentionpolicy) is reported and a further attempt to get approval is made later.If moving the content to offsite storage is approved, at 1220 thecontent is moved to offsite storage, e.g., by sending a tape or othermedia on which the content is stored to an offsite (e.g., central and/orthird party) storage location. At 1222 it is determined whether thecontent has been retained for a total of seven years. If so, at 1224approval to delete (or otherwise finally dispose of, depending on whatthe retention policy requires) the content is requested. If approval isnot received, at 1227 an exception is reported and a further attempt toobtain approval for deletion (or other final disposition) is made later.If deletion (or other final disposition) is approved, at 1228 it isdetermined whether a “hold” has been placed on the content. If a “hold”has been placed on the content, the content is retained, in this case inoffsite storage, until the hold is removed. If no “hold” has been placedand/or once any last remaining hold has been removed, at 1230 thecontent and any associated metadata is deleted, deletion is verified,and a record of the retention and final disposition of the content andassociated metadata is generated and maintained. In some embodiments,logic associated with the content management platform prevents metadatafrom being deleted while the associated content is under retention andlikewise logic ensures that in 1230 all associated metadata is deleted(or otherwise finally disposed of) once the associated content has beendeleted (or otherwise finally disposed of) in accordance with anapplicable retention policy. In some embodiments, a check for a hold asat 1230 is performed at each stage of qualification/promotion andcontent and associated metadata is not moved or changed in any wayduring “hold” periods, with the qualification, promotion, and/ordisposition processes associated with a retention policy resuming onceall holds have been removed.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process fordeleting content in accordance with a retention policy at the expirationof a retention period. In some embodiments, 1230 of FIG. 12 includes theprocess of FIG. 13. At 1302, an indication that time and/or otherapplicable criteria for deletion have been satisfied. In someembodiments, 1302 includes determining that an applicable retentionperiod and/or a last retention phase of a multi-phase retention periodhas expired. In some embodiments, 1302 includes an event that “wakes up”a qualification, promotion, and disposition process with which thecontent is associated. At 1304 it is determined and/orconfirmed/verified that any approval(s) required to be obtained, e.g.,by a retention policy applicable to the content and/or otherwise, priorto deletion (or other final disposition) has/have been obtained. If not,in this example at 1306 an exception is noted and a retry attempt isscheduled. Once any required approval(s) has/have been obtained, or ifno (further) approval is required, at 1308 it is determined whether thecontent comprises a complex document or content item. If so, at 1310 allchild objects and any metadata associated with the child objects isdeleted. Once child objects and their associated metadata, if any, havebeen deleted, or if the content item is not a complex document orobject, at 1312 the parent/root object and associated metadata aredeleted, after which a record of the deletion (or other finaldisposition) of the content and associated metadata is generated andstored.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process fordeleting content and associated metadata in an environment in whichcontent may be associated with more than one document or other object.In some embodiments, the process of FIG. 14 is used to implement 1310and 1312 of FIG. 13. At 1402, upon receiving an indication that an itemof content is eligible to be deleted under an applicable retentionpolicy, a link count associating with a content object or other objectthat represents the content item in a set of metadata is decremented. In1404, it is determined whether the link count decremented at 1404 isgreater than zero. If not, in some embodiments that would indicate thatthe content is not linked to any document or object other than thedocument or object that is now subject to deletion, and in 1406 thecontent item and the associated content object are deleted. If the countis greater than zero, e.g., because one or more documents/objects notyet eligible for deletion are linked to it, or after the content andcontent object have been deleted at 1406, at 1408 any metadata (e.g., adocument object) associated with the instance of the content that iscurrently being deleted is deleted. At 1410, the deletion of any datathat has been deleted is verified and a record of the retention anddisposition of the content is generated and/or updated and stored and/ormaintained, after which the process of FIG. 14 ends.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process forapplying two or more retention policies to the same content. In 1502, anindication is received that a retainer link count is greater than one.In this example, a retainer link count greater than one indicates thattwo or more retainer objects have been linked to an object associatedwith an item of content, e.g., an object that represents the item ofcontent in a set of metadata and/or an object with which the content isotherwise linked and/or associated. In some alternative embodiments,1502 includes determining through another mechanism that two or moreretention policies apply to an item of content. At 1504, the retentionpolicies applicable to the content are retrieved. At 1506, anyconflicting requirements are identified and the conflicts, if any,resolved to create a single, conflict-free policy which is thenassociated with and applied to the content.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a process foridentifying and resolving conflicts between/among two or more retentionpolicies applicable to an item of content. In some embodiments, 1506 ofFIG. 15 includes the process of FIG. 16. At 1602, it is determinedwhether there are any conflicts in the qualification, promotion,disposition, or other requirements of the applicable retention policies.At 1604, for each conflict, if any, the conflict is resolved ifapplicable and possible in favor of the longer/longest retention at thenearer/nearest (most readily accesses) storage type/location. Forexample, if a first policy required near-line storage for two yearsfollowed by offline but onsite storage for five more years, and deletionthereafter, and a second policy required near-line storage for threeyears followed by offsite storage for seven more years prior todeletion, in some embodiments at 1604 the conflicting provisions wouldbe resolved as follows: near-line storage for three years, followed byoffline (but not offsite) storage for four more years (to satisfy therequirement of the first policy that the content not move offsite untilafter a total of seven years), followed by offsite storage for threeyears (to satisfy the requirement of the second policy that the contentbe retained at least offsite for a total of ten years) and deletionthereafter. In some embodiments, approvals if any are obtained asprescribed by each applicable retention policy as and when required bythe policy imposing the requirement, even if doing so results inapprovals being obtained prior to moving and/or deleting the content. Inother embodiments, approval timeframes are adjusted so that theapprovals required prior to moving or deleting content are obtained ator near the time the content is to be moved or deleted under the mergedretention policy. At 1606, it is determined whether any conflict(s)remain(s) unresolved after application of the algorithm/rule applied at1604. If so, at 1608 an administrator is prompted to resolve anyremaining conflicts. If all conflicts are resolved by the processingperformed at 1604 or once any remaining conflicts have been resolved at1608, at 1610 the merged, conflict-free retention policy is applied tothe content.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limitedto the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementingthe invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and notrestrictive.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing content, comprising: receiving an indication that a retention policy is to be applied to a selected item of content comprising a body of managed content, wherein the selected item of content is stored in a content store; and automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy, wherein the associated metadata is stored in a metadata store and wherein automatically retaining in the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel comprises applying the retention policy both to the selected item of content and to its associated metadata; receiving a hold request to be placed for the selected item of content for a hold period, wherein placing a hold on a content comprises ensuring the content is retained in a prescribed location during a hold period and preventing the content from being changed; and in the event: 1) an expiry notification is received that an applicable retention period of the retention policy has ended for the associated metadata, and 2) a disposal notification is received that the associated metadata is to be disposed, using a processor to prevent the associated metadata from being disposed otherwise permitted by the expiry notification of the associated metadata, based in part on the hold period of the selected item of content.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy includes automatically associating the retention policy with the selected item of content.
 3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy includes preventing metadata associated with the selected item of content from being deleted or otherwise finally disposed until the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically retaining each of the one or more selected items of content and its associated metadata in parallel as required by the retention policy includes ensuring that metadata associated with the selected item of content is deleted or otherwise finally disposed once the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically retaining each of the one or more selected items of content and its associated metadata in parallel as required by the retention policy includes generating a record indicating that the selected item of content and its associated metadata have been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hold period that the selected item of content is placed on hold includes the pendency of an investigation or litigation.
 7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the associated metadata includes one or more of the following: a content object, a document object, and a retainer object.
 8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the associated metadata is an object linked to a second selected item of content.
 9. A content management system, comprising: a processor configured to receive an indication that a retention policy is to be applied to a selected item of content comprising a body of managed content, wherein the selected item of content is stored in a content store; and automatically retain the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy, wherein the associated metadata is stored in a metadata store and wherein automatically retaining in the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel comprises applying the retention policy both to the selected item of content and to its associated metadata; receive a hold request to be placed for the selected item of content for a hold period, wherein placing a hold on a content comprises ensuring the content is retained in a prescribed location during a hold period and preventing the content from being changed; and in the event: 1) an expiry notification is received that an applicable retention period of the retention policy has ended for the associated metadata, and 2) a disposal notification is received that the associated metadata is to be disposed, prevent the associated metadata from being disposed otherwise permitted by the expiry notification of the associated metadata, based in part on the hold period of the selected item of content; and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide instructions to the processor.
 10. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to automatically retain the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy at least in part by automatically associating the retention policy with the selected item of content.
 11. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to automatically retain the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy at least in part by preventing metadata associated with the selected item of content from being deleted or otherwise finally disposed until the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 12. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to automatically retain the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy at least in part by ensuring that metadata associated with the selected item of content is deleted or otherwise finally disposed once the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 13. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to automatically retain the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy at least in part by generating a record indicating that the selected item of content and its associated metadata have been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 14. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the hold period that the selected item of content is placed on hold includes the pendency of an investigation or litigation.
 15. A computer program product for managing content, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for: receiving an indication that a retention policy is to be applied to a selected item of content comprising a body of managed content, wherein the selected item of content is stored in a content store; and automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy, wherein the associated metadata is stored in a metadata store and wherein automatically retaining in the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel comprises applying the retention policy both to the selected item of content and to its associated metadata; receiving a hold request to be placed for the selected item of content for a hold period, wherein placing a hold on a content comprises ensuring the content is retained in a prescribed location during a hold period and preventing the content from being changed; and in the event: 1) an expiry notification is received that an applicable retention period of the retention policy has ended for the associated metadata, and 2) a disposal notification is received that the associated metadata is to be disposed, preventing the associated metadata from being disposed otherwise permitted by the expiry notification of the associated metadata, based in part on the hold period of the selected item of content.
 16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy includes automatically associating the retention policy with the selected item of content.
 17. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically retaining the selected item of content and its associated metadata in parallel in accordance with the retention policy includes preventing metadata associated with the selected item of content from being deleted or otherwise finally disposed until the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 18. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically retaining each of the one or more selected items of content and its associated metadata in parallel as required by the retention policy includes ensuring that metadata associated with the selected item of content is deleted or otherwise finally disposed once the selected item of content has been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 19. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein automatically retaining each of the one or more selected items of content and its associated metadata in parallel as required by the retention policy includes generating a record indicating that the selected item of content and its associated metadata have been deleted or otherwise finally disposed of in accordance with the retention policy.
 20. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the hold period that the selected item of content is placed on hold includes the pendency of an investigation or litigation. 